I am innocent and faithful, but my words sound guilty, and everything I say seems to condemn me.

Can any human being be really pure? Can anyone be right with God?

Can anyone be righteous or pure in God's sight?

Don't put me, your servant, on trial; no one is innocent in your sight.

You think that what you do is right, but I will expose your conduct, and your idols will not be able to help you.

The man answered, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind'; and 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.' "

But the teacher of the Law wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"

For no one is put right in God's sight by doing what the Law requires; what the Law does is to make us know that we have sinned.

For we conclude that a person is put right with God only through faith, and not by doing what the Law commands.

But those who depend on faith, not on deeds, and who believe in the God who declares the guilty to be innocent, it is this faith that God takes into account in order to put them right with himself.

But in order that the choice of one son might be completely the result of God's own purpose, God said to her, "The older will serve the younger." He said this before they were born, before they had done anything either good or bad; so God's choice was based on his call, and not on anything they had done.

So then, everything depends, not on what we humans want or do, but only on God's mercy.

So we say that the Gentiles, who were not trying to put themselves right with God, were put right with him through faith;

His choice is based on his grace, not on what they have done. For if God's choice were based on what people do, then his grace would not be real grace.

Yet we know that a person is put right with God only through faith in Jesus Christ, never by doing what the Law requires. We, too, have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be put right with God through our faith in Christ, and not by doing what the Law requires. For no one is put right with God by doing what the Law requires.

Now, God made his promises to Abraham and to his descendant. The scripture does not use the plural "descendants," meaning many people, but the singular "descendant," meaning one person only, namely, Christ.

For if God's gift depends on the Law, then it no longer depends on his promise. However, it was because of his promise that God gave that gift to Abraham.

But a go-between is not needed when only one person is involved; and God is one.

But God's mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great,

For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it.

(SEE 2:8)

He saved us and called us to be his own people, not because of what we have done, but because of his own purpose and grace. He gave us this grace by means of Christ Jesus before the beginning of time,

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed,

and that his love is constant. You yourself, O Lord, reward everyone according to their deeds.

You are good to us and forgiving, full of constant love for all who pray to you.

But you, O Lord, are a merciful and loving God, always patient, always kind and faithful.

Israel, trust in the LORD, because his love is constant and he is always willing to save.

There is no other god like you, O LORD; you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry forever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love.

from one generation to another he shows mercy to those who honor him.

He has kept the promise he made to our ancestors, and has come to the help of his servant Israel.

He said he would show mercy to our ancestors and remember his sacred covenant.

Our God is merciful and tender. He will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us

Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son!

For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God,

Let us have confidence, then, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope,

At one time you were not God's people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God's mercy, but now you have received his mercy.

Jesus answered, "I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born again."

"I am telling you the truth," replied Jesus, "that no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.

Some of you were like that. But you have been purified from sin; you have been dedicated to God; you have been put right with God by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

He did this to dedicate the church to God by his word, after making it clean by washing it in water,

which was a symbol pointing to baptism, which now saves you. It is not the washing off of bodily dirt, but the promise made to God from a good conscience. It saves you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Create a pure heart in me, O God, and put a new and loyal spirit in me.

Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God---what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.

Your hearts and minds must be made completely new,

and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in his own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself.

And then they abandoned their faith! It is impossible to bring them back to repent again, because they are again crucifying the Son of God and exposing him to public shame.